First off, a HUGE thank you to Neal, the man who has been running the backend for years....I won't go into detail because truthfully I don't know the details of why this site was down for nearly 4 days but all that matters is it is back up again just in time for the Debbie Downers to praise their predictions of a Seahawks loss....

Kidding aside, Thank you Neal and for anyone else involved to get the site back up and operational.

For the record, I TOTALLY wasn't checking the site every half hour or less on average. Nope. Not me.

Enough of the outage. How about that game? I was honestly thrilled. Not that we lost of course, but this team clearly is showing improvement each week. To go toe-to-toe on offense with the most prolific offense in the NFL? Awesome.

To run for nearly 200 yards in the game? Carson and Davis are LETHAL one-two punches. My guess is Penny is still trying to recover from that finger surgery otherwise they would give him more time. Just my thought.

The glass half empty crowd will no doubt mention all the deficiencies. Our defense was sliced open and often all game long. Well guess what? ANY defense is exposed when they are up against a juggernaut like the Rams offense.

What I loved the most? David punched Goliath in the mouth. Several times. They almost, almost...Fell down.

Make no mistake. There were several LOB'ish moments. The Rams lost both their top WR's to concussion protocol. You could plainly see the Seahawks - win or lose - wanted the Rams to get on that plane feeling every bruise and hit.

In the end, I was proud of my Seahawks. Sure, they lost in the end, but it was far from an ass whoppin. We gave the Rams everything they could handle. Deep down, they know the Seahawks are still a formidable opponent worthy of respect.

Hold your heads up high 12's. This team is young, full of talent and we are 2 years or less of being back on top of the NFC mountain.

Yes. I'm starting to think they don't want to throw because they know they can't. Kind of like how we didn't run last year because we straight up couldn't. Why can't we do both effectively? Deep PA shots are difficult to replicate every week against every team. Gotta have an intermediate game and some short game.

adeltaY wrote:I'm starting to think they don't want to throw because they know they can't. Kind of like how we didn't run last year because we straight up couldn't. Why can't we do both effectively? Deep PA shots are difficult to replicate every week against every team. Gotta have an intermediate game and some short game.

The more we run successfully, which we have the past 3 weeks, the more it opens up PA opportunities and for Russ to improvise (his strength) and also gives him time to maneuver in the pocket which I saw a lot more of tonight. Sure, there were still moments of pocket collapse but you cannot argue with a successful running game, it gives Russ a chance to breathe and be the QB we all know he is.

There were so many positives on offense today that really make me believe this team could surprise folks and make a real push for a wildcard. The running attack set up playaction beautifully today and the OL is really making strides. Kudos to Solari. The whole offense is just getting better and better each week and this team is playing with some real heart and guts. Guys are giving it their all and leaving it all on the field. They are hungry.

The D isn't there yet but no one expected them to be this year. The pass rush is minimal and the secondary (aside from McDougald) is a work in progress. But by having long drives with our good running game, we're going to keep opposing offenses off the field and keep us in almost every game. I'm really just ecstatic about the offensive progess and the tenacity this team is starting to show.

adeltaY wrote:I'm starting to think they don't want to throw because they know they can't. Kind of like how we didn't run last year because we straight up couldn't. Why can't we do both effectively? Deep PA shots are difficult to replicate every week against every team. Gotta have an intermediate game and some short game.

The more we run successfully, which we have the past 3 weeks, the more it opens up PA opportunities and for Russ to improvise (his strength) and also gives him time to maneuver in the pocket which I saw a lot more of tonight. Sure, there were still moments of pocket collapse but you cannot argue with a successful running game, it gives Russ a chance to breathe and be the QB we all know he is.

You can run PA without running a lot. See our opponent - they don't run the ball that often early in games (they mostly use Gurley to close out games, run in TDs at the goal line, or convert short yardage situations), but they run play action at the highest rate in the league. It's the threat of the run or run-fake that makes PA successful.

I'm not arguing against a successful run game, I just wonder why our route combinations are very simplistic. You and I both saw Rams receivers running wide open across the middle of the field throughout the game. We should steal their concepts and use them on top of a successful run game.

We punched them in the mouth on both sides of the ball and played well enough to win less one series after Lockett's catch.

Our Young secondary isn't All Pro yet but they played well and have our future well in hand. The O line did well also providing good blocking and adequate protection compared to years past against a monster of a pass rush form the Rams.

Moore and Lockett looked great.

We are not handing things over to anyone, they have nothing to hand their heads about and the Rams left with a sigh of relief given no penalty and a Seabass Field goal and it would have been a very different last series and doubt about winning.

We really missed Wright today, his speed and coverage would have been a big help, their play design takes advantage of clearing the middle and going deep with the DB's putting the pressure on LB's and the pass rush.

adeltaY wrote:You can run PA without running a lot. See our opponent - they don't run the ball that often early in games (they mostly use Gurley to close out games, run in TDs at the goal line, or convert short yardage situations), but they run play action at the highest rate in the league. It's the threat of the run or run-fake that makes PA successful.

I'm not arguing against a successful run game, I just wonder why our route combinations are very simplistic. You and I both saw Rams receivers running wide open across the middle of the field throughout the game. We should steal their concepts and use them on top of a successful run game.

To start, we don't have a Todd Gurley that keeps defenses on their toes each and every play (i.e. PA). We had that with Lynch. Even though I think Carson and Davis are both beasts in their own right, they haven't earned the respect of that Beast Mode level just quite yet. But they are getting there.

I agree our route trees are basic. I think the emphasis is so focused on the running game that the receiving aspects take a back seat, IMO. On top of that, none of our receivers (minus a healthy Baldwin) are known for their separation and, well...

Credit where credit is due. The Rams are firing on all cylinders. Their template seems to match ours from 2012-2013.

They may get us this year but always remember, the NFL is cyclical. We will be back.

Yes. I'm starting to think they don't want to throw because they know they can't. Kind of like how we didn't run last year because we straight up couldn't. Why can't we do both effectively? Deep PA shots are difficult to replicate every week against every team. Gotta have an intermediate game and some short game.

It’s hard to throw against a team when they don’t have to defend the possibility of the run.

If you ask me, the run game is what opens the door for the pass game.

I remember a ton of AMAZING pass plays, back when the defense had to worry about BEASTMODE

Again..thanks to Anguish and Wenhawk and their team of experts that got this site back up. Kudos.

As far as the game, there was a running game again. Clock and ball control for the most part limiting offensive other team scores. They played really well. Not perfect, but really well. Penalties were just a nuisance...not too damaging. Watch the other games, and you will see damaging. I feel we may have softened the Rams up for the Packers and they will appreciate it. They will probably not cut the mustard, because they have a lot more holes than they think to fill. I firmly believe we are stronger than the Packers just because we have the weapons....but they are young and inexperienced. Time in the trenches means a lot.

As far as the rest of the season, we do have time to grow and get better. I think our run offense is starting to click on 3 of 4 cylinders and it is getting smoother. I think a spark plug is missing and when it starts to kick, so will the team.

Speaking of kick...our kicking game was interesting. I thought that was very ingenious of the man to dropkick the ball most of the game. Keep the ball out of their scoring players hands and we have a greater chance of making things happen. Very intriguing

Honestly, if we could've had that old Russ Magic in the 4th and got the win...look at the standings. The golden goose Rams would be 4-1, and the Hawks who like totally suck this year and stuff would be 3-2, one game behind them. There is A LOT of season left.

I'm excited for the new look Hawks this year. Even if it's not the lights out domination we've been spoiled with for 5 years, it is real fun to watch. Huzzah!